


Promises and Prom Kisses

by hoffkk



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: Equality, Multi, Old Feelings, Prom Night, a new chapter, a realization, endings and beginnings, joshaya, love who you love, prom kisses, rucas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-19
Updated: 2015-07-19
Packaged: 2018-04-10 03:39:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4375778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoffkk/pseuds/hoffkk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s Maya and Riley’s senior prom, the night of glam, fun, and (for many) sex.  After seeing Maya all dressed up with her date, Josh can’t help but wonder how far she is planning to go with him...and why he is bothered by it so much.  Suddenly, Josh finds himself at the prom and finds that the old feelings he had locked away years ago never really left.  The question is: what will he do about it now?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Promises and Prom Kisses

**Author's Note:**

> A tumblr friend requested a jealous Josh fanfic, and this is what I came up with. Hope you all enjoy! I apologize for any errors you may find a long the way. As always, feel free to share your thought and or send kudos! ;)

Tonight was the night: senior prom.  Riley and Maya had been waiting their whole high school careers for this night and were super excited that it was finally happening.  The two of them, along with Isadora Smackle, spent the whole day at Riley's, pampering themselves and getting ready, and now they were applying the finishing touches.

"So, how do I look?"  Smackle asked, slipping some sparkly bangles over her gloved hand and giving a small twirl.  She wore dark purple gloves that went up past her elbows to match her purple ombre mermaid dress.  It had a sweetheart neckline with silver sequins along the bust and was tightly fit down to her mid-thigh where it flared out into a skirt of organza ruffles, which matched the single ruffled strap that went over her right shoulder.  She wore her dark hair half up with a sparkly headband.  For Smackle, more was definitely more.

"You look amazing, Izzy."  Riley answered, completely sincere.

"Thanks, Riley, but look at you!  You look like a modern day Cinderella!" She beamed.

"Why, thank you my _lovely_ step-sister!"  Riley replied, giving a little curtsy.  Her dress was a taffeta, A-line, high-low number, strapless with a belt made of crystals that lay in an elegant design right under the bust area.  Paired with silver jewelry and shoes and a fancy up-do, which also had silver jewels throughout it, Riley really did look like Cinderella.  "Now where is my not-so-lovely step-sister?"  She wondered aloud.

Smackle was about to remind her that Maya was in the bathroom, applying her make-up when they were interrupted.

"I heard that!" Maya called, feigning annoyance as she entered the room.

"Whoa," Riley responded, getting a look at the complete product that was a prom-ready Maya.  "Va-va-voom!"  Smackle added as she wiggled her eyebrows.  Maya definitely had the sexiest look out of all of them with her floor-length, satin halter dress that was completely covered in gold sequins.  The gown was open back, which she showed off by wearing her long, curly hair swept to the side, and it had a long slit on the side opposite where her hair hung that ran all the way up to her mid-thigh.  The only pops of color were her red lips and the fake red rose she had clipped in the side of her hair, and the only jewelry she wore were gold studs and her gold locket that her mom gave her for her 14th birthday, which she wrapped around her wrist as a makeshift bracelet.

" _Stop it_."  Maya responded dramatically with a flip of the hand.  The brunettes just giggled in response.

When the giggles faded away, Riley just sat on her window seat and stared at her friends a moment with a smile on her face.

"What's that look for?"  Maya asked curiously, as she sat down next to Riley to adjust a strap on her strappy gold heel.

"I was just thinking about moments...how there are some you just know you are gonna remember for the rest of your life.  Tonight is gonna be full of those moments... I can feel it."  Riley explained.

"Me too."  Smackle nodded in agreement, as she took a seat on the other side of Riley.

"Me three." Maya threw in, feeling oddly optimistic about prom.

"Then let's make a prom promise right now to embrace those moments and make the most of tonight."  Riley commanded, clasping her friends' hands with each of her own.

"And make the most of what's left of our senior year together."  Smackle added, moving her free hand over top of Riley's and giving it a tight squeeze.

"And make the most of our last real summer together."  Maya tossed in, mimicking Smackle's hand motion.

"I promise."  Riley affirmed with a curt nod.

"I promise." Maya and Smackle repeated in unison, nodding towards their friend.

Riley beamed and threw her arms around her best friends.

"I love you, guys!"  She half-shouted, pulling them into a hug.  They just smiled as they hugged back, forming a cute little group hug.

A moment later, there was a knock at the door and Auggie poked his head into the bedroom, eyes closed.

"Everyone decent?"  He called across the room.

"Yes, Auggie."  Riley chuckled with a shake of her head.

He slowly peeked his eyes open, saw everyone was dressed and ready, then let out a small breath.  "I am supposed to tell you girls to come to the living room.  Your dates should be here any minute."

"Okay, we're coming." Riley said, then all three of them stood up to smooth out their dresses and fix their hair one last time.

"whatdaya think, Augs?"  Maya questioned.  "How do we look?"

"Perfect." He said with a roll of his eyes.  "Now come on already!"

The three just laughed at Auggie's annoyance as they picked up their clutches and followed him out the bedroom door.

*******

"Thanks, again, for agreeing to babysit, Josh," Topanga smiled, sitting next to her brother in-law on the living room couch.  "but remember, as far as Auggie knows, you are just having a guys’ night.  No babysitting involved."  She added, voice serious, as she looked him straight in the eye.  Auggie thinks he is too old for a babysitter, so to placate him they use Riley or Josh as often as possible, so it feels more like he is hanging out with a friend than being watched over.

"Got it, and no problem.  I love spending time with the little guy."  Josh assured.

"And I love spending time with muh wife."  Cory said playfully, wrapping an arm around Topanga as he sat on the other side of her.

"And I love spending time with muh husband."  She responded, her voice matching his tone.  "Which is why we are going out to a nice dinner tonight, just you and me."  She finished with her normal voice, then kissed him on the cheek.

"And Shawn and Katy."  He added quickly with an innocent smile.

"Say what now?"  Topanga asked, wearing a fake smile, trying not to appear annoyed.  She loved Shawn and Katy and was so happy when they got married last year, but she was really hoping for some alone time with Cory tonight.

"Did I not tell you that this was a double date?"  He laughed nervously, knowing very well he hadn't.

"No... ya didn't."  Topanga informed him.  "but just out of curiosity, am I your date or is Shawn?  She asked pointedly, only half-joking.

"Don't be ridiculous."  Cory told her with a wave of his hand.  Just then, there was a knock on the door.  "Yay!  Shawn's here!"  Corey exclaimed as he jumped up from the couch and ran to the door.

Topanga just gave Josh an "I told you so" look and shook her head before standing to greet her guests with a wave, which were in fact Shawn and Katy.

"Shawny!"  Cory greeted his best friend, then looked to Katy and nodded, "Mrs. Shawny."

"Hey, Cor."  Shawn smiled.

"Hi, Cory." Katy returned.

"Josh,” Shawn called out, noticing his presence.  "Hey, what brings you here?"  He finished as the adults made their way back over in front of the couch.

Josh stood up before answering. "Guys' night with Auggie." He winked at Topanga who just smiled.  As if on cue, Auggie walked through the front door.

"Speak of the devil."  Shawn said.

"Hey, Uncle Shawn."  Auggie smiled.  "Josh!  You're here!"  He added, noticing his uncle's presence.

"Yeah, but apparently you weren't."  Josh said a little surprised, figuring Auggie had been in his room.  A thought struck him just then, and he peeked at his phone.  "It's almost seven.  Where were you?"

"With my woman."  Auggie smiled smugly as he adjusted the strap of his backpack on his shoulder, causing all the adults to either smirk or chuckle softly.

"He was down the hall, doing homework with Ava."  Topanga explained.  "Auggie, honey, go put your stuff in your room and tell your sister and her friends to come out here.  Their dates will be here any minute."  Topanga stated after sparing a glance at her watch.

" _Fine_."  He groaned, less than thrilled with his task, then headed toward his bedroom.

The adults proceeded to make small talk, asking Josh about school and discussing what restaurant they wanted to go to tonight.  It wasn't long before Auggie returned with the girls in tow and announced their entrance.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your prom princesses."  He smiled, stepping aside to gesture with his arm toward the hallway entrance, which he had just walked through himself.  They all watched as the girls appeared, one by one, and crossed the threshold.

Josh smiled as he saw Smackle, then it grew even bigger when he saw his niece following behind, but when Maya finally came into view, Josh's smile dropped completely as his mouth fell open and eyes widened in shock.  _Wow_.  He silently praised.  Josh recovered quickly, playing it cool on the outside, while his insides went crazy as his eyes scanned her up and down.  She looked incredible.  The dress was tight-fit, hugging her in all the right places and accentuating her curves.  Her long, blonde hair hung to the side in loose curls that he was suddenly itching to run his fingers through.  Every part of Maya looked amazing, but Josh's favorite part, the part his eyes kept coming back to, was that long slit on the front of her dress, which he thought maybe showed just a little too much of her petite leg.

Moving his gaze back to her face once more, Josh found Maya staring at him with a smug look on her face.  Realizing she had caught him ogling her, he began to blush with embarrassment, but couldn't help, but smile back.  He wanted to say something to her, but before he had the chance, their dates had arrived.

Josh could tell who was going with who by their matching clothing.  Farkle, who wore a white suit with a purple bowtie and cummerbund, was here for Smackle.  Josh couldn't help but smile and shake his head at how he topped the look off with a matching cane and fedora.  Lucas stood next to him, wearing a standard black tuxedo with a bright blue tie.  He and Riley had been dating since last summer, so even without the tie Josh knew which girl he belonged to.  Lastly, on the other side of Lucas stood Zay... or was it Zane?  Josh couldn't remember, after all, he had only met the guy once.  Whatever his name was, he was dressed in a black tux with a shiny, gold bowtie.  He even went as far as to pair the ensemble with gold dress shoes, which Josh had to admit looked pretty cool.  He was half-smiling at the scene before him as he watched the girls greet their respective guys.

Somehow, his gaze found its way back to Maya, and he watched as she hugged Zay hello.  The action caused Maya to turn to the side, revealing the back of her dress to Josh.  He felt his eyes bulge for the second time tonight as he noted her bare back.  _Dang, how much skin did this girl plan on showing tonight_.  Josh wondered.  Then, suddenly, something occurred to him.  For every teen, prom night equaled sex night.  So, did Maya plan on sleeping with Zay?  They seemed to be quite friendly, if that lingering hug was any indication.  Josh shook the thought away.  Not everyone wanted or was ready to have sex on prom night.  Josh knew that much, but what he didn't know was if _Maya_ wanted it.  He also didn't know why the not knowing bothered him so much or why the idea of Maya sleeping with Zay or anyone else made his blood boil.

As he kept watching the couples chat with the parents and pose for pictures, he found himself glaring at Zay.  Josh grew more and more annoyed every time he touched Maya and made her smile, and when Zay had placed his hand on the pale, pink skin of Maya's back, Josh had the urge to rip his arm out of his socket.  Hands clenched, he made his way into the kitchen for a drink of water, not wanting to watch anymore or get caught looking so irritated.  It was only a matter of time before someone would notice his reaction, and he didn't want to have to explain himself.  He didn't even know if he could.  So, Josh just sat at the kitchen table casually, sipping on his glass of water until the excitement died down and the room cleared.

He only had to wait a few minutes before Riley and the gang left, anxious to ride in the limo that Farkle's dad had sprung for.  Apparently, the guy was loaded.  Then, a couple of minutes after the kids parted, the adults headed out to their dinner.  Eager to get his "guys' night" started, Auggie ordered a meat-lover's pizza from his favorite place down the street, using the money Topanga left for them, and then started searching for a good movie to rent on the television.  Twenty minutes later, the boys were chowing down on giant slices of pizza as they watched the newest Avengers movie.

Josh was halfway done with his second piece of pizza, when he suddenly lost his appetite.  The scene had changed to a fancy party of some sort, where Black Widow was undercover as a guest and wearing a sparkly gold gown.  With that, thoughts of Maya in her prom dress immediately flooded Josh's brain, and with them all his former prom night concerns.  From then on, the whole rest of the movie was spent with Josh half paying attention as he thought about what Maya and Zay were doing, how close they were sitting, and whether or not Zay was still being all touchy-feely.  As he stared blankly at the TV, clenching and unclenching his fists for the umpteenth time, a new thought occurred to him.  How was Shawn okay with letting Maya out of the house like that?  If Riley put on a dress like that, Cory would have definitely locked her in her room.  Josh shook his head, growing annoyed with his mindset and grabbed the remote, turning the volume up louder in hopes of drowning out his thoughts.  It didn't work.  Images of Maya, with and without Zay, just wouldn't leave his brain, causing him to become full on angry.  He clenched his teeth together as he clenched his fists again.  _Hard_.

"Hey!"  Auggie yelled, sounding peeved.  "What the heck?"

Josh still had the remote in his hand when he clenched his fists that last time, accidently hitting the rewind button.  Josh quickly hit play as he muttered a lame apology.  Auggie shrugged it off, getting sucked back into the film once more.

Fifteen minutes later, the credits were rolling and Auggie was yawning.  Switching the television off, Auggie agreed to get ready for bed, while Josh started to clean up their pizza mess.  Just as he placed all the dirty dishes in the sink, Cory and Topanga came walking through the door with Shawn and Katy following behind.  After an exchange of greetings, Cory went back to Auggie's room to check on him, while Topanga took Katy to the master bedroom to show her the new dress she had bought the other day.  They had discussed it in length at dinner, much to the guys' dismay, and Katy couldn't wait to see it for herself.

Standing awkwardly in the living room with Shawn, Josh finally decided to speak up, asking the question that has been bugging him all night.

"Can I ask you a question?"  Josh queried hesitantly.

"Sure."  Shawn said, gesturing to sit on the sofa.  They both sat before Josh continued.

"How are you so okay with Maya going to prom, especially in that dress?  I mean, guys only think about one thing on this night, and that dress is only making it easier for them to envision it."

Shawn couldn't help, but smirk a little at Josh's words.  He thought Josh had acted a bit strange earlier during pictures, but he wasn't so sure.  Now he was, and found it quite funny that Josh was indeed affected by Maya's appearance tonight.  He was used to Maya pining over Josh, but now that the tables seemed to have turned, Shawn found it very amusing.  However, he managed to keep his tone even as he answered.

"Eh, it's not that bad."  He shrugged.

"Are you kidding?  Did you see that massive slit?  And how tight it was?"  Josh asked in disbelief.

"Well, _you_ certainly did."  Shawn teased.

Josh paused with his mouth hanging open a second as he collected his thoughts.  "It's not like that."  He said finally.

"Whatever you say."  Shawn replied, not believing a word coming from this boy's mouth.

"Seriously, this isn't me being attracted to her or jealous.  I'm just concerned.  That's all."  Josh explained, not sure whether he was trying to convince Shawn or himself.

"Uh huh..."  Shawn started, still not convinced, but decided to humor him anyway.  "Well, I trust Maya.  She was raised right, and I have faith that she will make the right decision should such a serious situation arise."

"I agree, but I think the real question is if you can trust Zane."  Josh responded.

"You mean Zay?"  Shawn questioned in an amused tone.

"Whatever." Josh shrugged.

"I think I can trust him."  Shawn nodded, trying to hide his returning smirk.

"You think?  Shouldn't you know?"  He probed, annoyed with Shawn's nonchalance about the whole subject.

"Yeah... I'm pretty sure he's harmless."  Shawn said with another nod as he gave Josh a quick pat on the shoulder for comfort.  It didn't work.  Josh just became even more perturbed than before, giving Shawn an incredulous look.  He _thinks_... _pretty_ sure... _what the hell?_ Josh wondered.  This was Maya's innocence they were talking about.  It shouldn't be taken lightly and left up to maybes.  With that, Josh suddenly knew what he had to do.

"Well, I'm not.  I- I- I have to go."  Josh stood, adjusted his beanie, and all but ran out the front door.

Just as Josh left, Cory entered the living room and pointed to the door.

"Where is Josh going?"  Cory asked, feeling confused since Josh had said he was spending the night.

"To the prom,” Shawn said knowingly as he stood up from couch.  "to save Maya's innocence."  He finished, using air-quotes around the word innocence.

"But her date is Zay."  Cory stated matter-of-factly, growing even more confused.

"Yup."  Shawn said, giving a single nod of the head.

"And Zay is gay."  Cory went on.

"Oh, is he?"  Shawn inquired, feigning innocence.

"Yeah, I remember because it rhymes."  Cory explained.

Shawn snapped his fingers before responding, "I knew there was something that I forgot to tell Josh."

Cory just looked at Shawn for a moment, taking in his devilish grin.  After about two seconds, things began to click into place, and Cory grinned back.

" _Shawny_... are you scheming again?  And without me, your right-hand man?"  He gestured to himself with both hands.

"No, not scheming," Shawn answered.  "Just...helping."

Cory chuckled quietly.  "So, little brother finally realized he had feelings for Maya, huh?"

"Yeah, it would seem so."  Shawn confirmed.

"Well, it's about time."  Cory stated, then gave Shawn a pat on the back as he continued.  "I just hope for your sake that this little plan works out."

"Don't worry."  Shawn told Cory, pausing a moment to glance back at the door that Josh just ran out of.  "I have a good feeling that it will."  He finished with a smirk, feeling very confident of the outcome of tonight's events.

Just then, their wives came back out into the living room.

"What are you two all smiley about?"  Topanga questioned, crossing her arms as she glanced back and forth between the two men.

"Did we interrupt something?"  Katy added teasingly.  When dating Shawn, she learned quickly that their bromance was a force to be reckoned with, so she was only half-joking as she asked the question.

"Nope."  Shawn answered quickly, thrusting his hands inside his pockets.

"Nothing." Cory answered just as fast, crossing his arms as he did so.

"Then why do I get the strange feeling that you two are hiding something?"  Topanga queried, her lawyer senses kicking in.

"Let's just say that all shall be revealed tomorrow."  Shawn said vaguely as he threw an arm around Katy.

The ladies just looked at him curiously, then looked to Cory who just smiled and shook his head vigorously.

Both men knew Josh and Maya well and were pretty certain that no matter what may go down between them tonight, they would end up a couple by morning.

*******

Josh's plan was simple.  He would just stop by the prom and tell Zay, man to man, to keep his paws off of Maya.  What could possibly go wrong?  That's what Josh told himself as he took a subway train twenty blocks to the Jacobs Hotel, where the prom was being held in one of the ballrooms.

Coming to his stop, Josh got off the train and walked up the stairs that led from the platform to the street, taking them two at a time.  From there, he hastily walked down the street and entered the hotel through its oversized revolving door.  Once inside, he paused a moment to find the front desk, figuring the attendant could tell him in which direction the ballroom was located.  As his eyes fell upon it, they widened immediately, noting a familiar blonde in a gold dress standing there talking to the lady behind the desk.  Quickly noting the fancy, large clock on the wall, Josh's brow furrowed.  It was only 10:15 and prom wasn't over until 11, so why was she getting a room now?  Did she plan on cutting out early or was she just preparing for later?  Either way, Josh knew he needed to put a stop to it and rushed right over.

"Don't give her a room key.  She _isn't_ staying."  Josh all but glared at the older woman in hotel uniform as he grabbed Maya by the shoulders and steered her away from the desk, relishing the feel of her smooth, warm skin against his hands.

His touch gave Maya goosebumps, but she was too angry to care.  "Josh?  What do you think you're doing?!"  She scolded, breaking contact and turning to face him.

"Making sure you don't do something stupid."  He said seriously.

"Oh really?"  She crossed her arms.  "Like what?"

"Like Zay."  He answered without thinking.   He probably should have given a different response, but at least the response he did give was the truth.

" _Excuse me_?"  Maya replied, completely baffled with eyebrows rising all the way into her hairline.  Josh wasn't really here to protect her virtue was he?

"You heard me."  Josh stated matter-of-factly, crossing his own arms.

Maya's mouth popped open in shock.  Apparently, he was.  Part of Maya found the gesture to be sweet, but a bigger part was mad at him for it.  How could he think that she would be so easy and cliché as to give it up on prom night?  So, she simply responded, "Zay isn't stupid."

"Maybe not, but sleeping with him is."  Josh assured.

"Why?"  Maya said, genuinely curious to know what his answer would be.

"Because you're not ready, you don't love him."  Josh said confidently, taking a step toward her before continuing his thought.  "Sex is something special that should be done between two people that deeply care about each other."

"Oh, please,” Maya rolled her eyes.  "like you didn't have sex on your prom night."

"I...uh...I didn't actually."  Josh stuttered, breaking eye contact as he scratched at the back of his neck sheepishly.

Maya just stared at him a moment, taking in his nervous movements and flushed face.  He was clearly a little embarrassed by his admission, so she knew that he was being honest.

"Really?  Why not?  I mean, you're a catch, the total package.  Your date was probably all over you."

"She was." Josh nodded, half-smiling a Maya's description of him.

"So...why not go for it?"  Maya asked again, rephrasing her question.

"Because...it just... it didn't feel right."  Josh tried to explain.  "It wasn't the right time... or the right girl."  He finished, looking back into her eyes and giving her a serious look.  At that moment, his actions and feelings suddenly became clear to him. 

Before, Josh didn't know what stopped him from taking that step on his own prom night or any of the nights after.  He didn't know why he had trouble getting close to any and all of the girls he dated during college, but now he did.  This was his awakening, his moment of truth.  Josh couldn't let himself really be with them because... they weren't Maya.  Apparently, she had stolen his heart years ago before he even realized what happened, and now that he was fully aware of this, he wasn't complaining, in fact, he was smiling.

"Josh, I..."  Maya started, not knowing how to finish her thought.  Did he really just imply that she was the right girl for him?  That's what it felt like, but maybe she was reading too much into it.  Luckily, she didn't have to say anything else, for a voice interrupted them.

"Maya, there you are!"  Riley shouted, making her way across the lobby of the hotel.  "You have got to see this!  I can't believe - Josh?"  Riley asked surprised, finally aware of her uncle's presence.

"I'll explain later."  Maya offered with a wave of her hand.  "Now what can't you believe?"  She questioned, wanting to distract her friend and figure out what she was on about.  Placing her hands on her hips, she waited for a response.

"This!"  Riley beamed, grabbing her friend by the wrist and pulling her down the hallway toward the ballroom.  Josh didn't know what else to do, so he followed behind them.  Once at the door, the trio peered inside and Riley pointed toward the only couple dancing in the middle of the room and said, "Look!"

"Oh...my...god..."  Maya stated each word slowly as she grinned at the sight of Lucas and Zay adorned in the king and queen's crowns, slow dancing together to Joe Cocker's "You are so Beautiful."

"Someone want to explain?"  Josh asked, confusion evident in both his face and voice.

"Our school has a prom tradition where the king is voted on by the senior class.  They are supposed to pick someone with good morals, good grades, yadda, yadda, yadda,” Maya started to clarify.  "So, naturally, we picked Lucas.

"Then the king gets to choose and crown the queen,” Riley continued.  "so Lucas picked Zay."

"But why?  I don't get it."  Josh furrowed his brow, trying to understand.

Both girls finally looked away from the dancing couple and at Josh once more.  "Well, long story short, Zay couldn't bring his boyfriend to the prom because of some stupid school policy."  Riley spoke up.

"We had tried to fight it, but ultimately failed, so I agreed to go with him, you know, to cheer him up."  Maya chimed in.

"And now Lucas picked him as the queen to make a statement...that we should be allowed to bring, and dance with, _and love_ anybody we want, regardless of gender."  Riley finished, glancing back at her amazing boyfriend.

"Wow,” Josh stated, suddenly impressed.  "That's bold."

"Apparently, a lot of bold moves are being made tonight."  Riley smirked knowingly at her uncle.  Just then the music faded and something more upbeat kicked on.  "Well, I better go find my boyfriend.  I'll catch up with you guys later."  She waved them goodbye and reentered the ballroom, but not before throwing Maya a subtle wink to which Maya just smiled sweetly.

"So..."  Josh looked to Maya.  "Zay has a boyfriend?" He asked, though it sounded more like a statement than a question.

"Yep."  Maya replied, popping the "p."

"Then you probably weren't planning on having sex with him tonight."  Josh stated the obvious.

"Nope."  Maya popped her "p" once more, trying to hide her amusement at his mistake.

Josh nodded sheepishly, until something suddenly occurred to him.  "Wait, if you weren't getting a room, what were you doing at the front desk?"  He queried.

"Smackle lost one of her bracelets and was freaking out about it, so I told her I would check at the front desk to see if anyone had found it and turned it in."

"Oh."  Josh stated simply.  Then, he just stared at her, his blue eyes boring into hers.  It was quiet for a moment as they did so, until Maya finally spoke up.

"Why are you here, Josh?"  She asked flat-out, tone serious.  Maya was pretty sure she knew the answer, but not so sure he would actually admit it.  In the lobby, he had told her a lot through subtext, but if he couldn't actually say the words aloud that she needed to hear, then none of it meant anything.

"I already told you... I didn't want you to do anything stupid."  Josh replied.

"No, I mean, you could've said something to me when we were at Riley's, but you didn't.  Instead, you came all the way here... _why_?"  Maya tried again, crossing her arms and stepping closer to show she wasn't backing down from this.

"Because... I thought if I just distracted myself, I would get over it, but I didn't...I couldn't."

"Get over what?"  She inquired.

"The feelings I was having."  Josh answered vaguely.

"Which were feelings of...."  Maya trailed off and waited for him to fill in the blank.

Josh couldn't help but let a small smirk escape at her relentlessness.  Feeling exasperated, he gave up, giving Maya the answer she was looking for.

"Jealousy, all right?  I was jealous!"  He stepped forward.  "I couldn't stand the thought of you being with someone else, especially on _that_ level and especially in _that_ dress."  He explained, licking his lips as he gave her another quick onceover.

Maya blushed, but managed to hold her own as she stepped even closer, got right in his face, and responded smugly, "And why is that?"  She was determined to make him say those three little words, the same ones she had said to him in that NYU dorm room all those years ago, and they both knew it.

However, Josh decided to up the ante and say, "Because I love you."

"You _what_?"  Maya retorted, arms falling limp at her sides at his revelation, totally unprepared for his use of a different L word.

"I love you, Maya."  Josh grinned boyishly.  "Now, for the love of god, stop it with the questions already!" He begged playfully, then, wasting no time, he cradled her face with his hands and pulled her in for a long, hard kiss.  Maya's arms rose automatically to grip the undersides of Josh's arms just above his elbows.

After what seemed like forever, they finally pulled apart, but neither made a move to let go of the other.  Instead, they just stood there, smiling at each other like a couple of idiots, faces inches apart.

"Wow."  Maya praised. "That was pretty bold there, Matthews."

"Didn't you hear?  A lot of bold moves are being made tonight."  He winked, repeating Riley's words from before.

"Apparently, so."  She smiled sweetly, then leaned in to kiss Josh again.  She was making the most of her prom night, just like she promised she would.

They continued to make-out for a few minutes, until Josh pulled away and sighed, "As much as I am enjoying this right now, I should probably get going and let you get back to your prom."

"You should stay and hang out!"  Maya suggested hopefully.  "The gang won't mind."

"Yeah, but the chaperone's might, and if you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly dressed for the occasion."  He pointed out, gesturing to his casual attire.  Maya just frowned in response, so Josh went on to add, "Besides, you already _have_ a date, remember?"

"Oh yeah,” Maya chuckled softly at herself for forgetting about Zay.  "I guess two dates _would_ be a bit much."

"Yeah, you should probably stick to one at a time."  He agreed.  "Zay for tonight, and then me for tomorrow?

"Joshua Gabriel Matthews, are you asking me out?"  Maya raised her brow in question.

"Yes, Maya Penelope Hart, I am."  Josh nodded curtly.  "I mean, that _is_ what boyfriend's do."

"Oh, so now I'm your girlfriend, huh?"  She teased.

"Well, you're certainly not Zay's,” Josh winked.  "And as far as any other guy is concerned, you aren't single."  Josh added, moving a loose strand of hair behind Maya's ear.

"Hmmm...."  Maya thought for a moment.  "I like the sound of that."

"Good, now that we've got that established... go enjoy your prom."  He said, gesturing to the ballroom door in front of him with his beanie-clad head.

"Okay."  She smiled sadly, then gave him one more quick kiss before letting the moment end completely.

After a couple more seconds of savoring the warmth of their embrace, the two reluctantly parted ways.  Maya picked up the front of her dress with one hand to avoid tripping, while the other opened the door.  Standing in the threshold, Maya stopped and turned halfway to look back at Josh who stood just a few feet away with hands in his jean pockets, wearing the sweetest expression on his face.  After matching his expression easily, Maya called back, "Josh?"

"Yeah?"  He asked as his eyes raked over his new girlfriend, taking in every beautiful detail about her, something he intended to do every day for as long as Maya would let him.

"I love you too."  She said officially for the first time as she smiled brightly.  Once Maya noticed his own smile triple in size, she gave a light wave of the hand and walked inside, letting the door fall closed behind her.

Maya found her friends quickly, and after promising to give the girls details of her little rendezvous with Josh later on tonight at their sleepover, the gang proceeded to dance the night away.  They jumped, spun, sang lyrics, took pictures, and had a blast.  Eventually, the DJ called for the last song, and the group hit the dance floor one last time, forming a big circle as they swayed back and forth together along to Halestorm's "Here's To Us."  Tears pooled in Maya's eyes as she listened to the words and looked at everyone's happy, yet sad faces.  It was hard to believe that in a few short months, they would all be headed to separate schools with Lucas and Riley attending Columbia, Farkle and Smackle attending MIT, Zay attending the local Military Academy, and Maya herself heading off to join Josh at NYU.  Time had just flown by so fast.

As a single tear escaped and made its way down Maya's cheek, she realized something important.  She realized that this song, the prom, and high school itself were all nearly over, and yes, it was very bittersweet.  However, even though this crucial chapter in her life was about to come to an end, Maya knew that an even better one was about to begin, and she couldn't wait to start page one, especially since she had Josh as her new co-author.  Yes, Maya's story was definitely about to get a whole lot more interesting as she forged a new path with a new Matthews at her side, and she was looking forward to every single minute of it.

**Author's Note:**

> Did you like it? If so, check out my other stories on my AO3 page as well as my tumblr page (also under hoffkk). You won't be disappointed!


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